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VOLUME 31, NUMBER 10
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Happenings in Our Evolving Profession
Good things seem to be happening for our profession and recent developments show we are all on board. Talking about being on board, this September The Veterans Express-Purple Heart Tour is expected to make its way out of the station.
Judge Lifts Stay of Florida PIP Injunction
Circuit Court Judge Terry P. Lewis lifted an automatic stay of a temporary injunction against the Florida Personal Injury Protection law.
Helping Infertility Patients with the Spirit Essence
As many of you know, when it comes to treating infertility, we are dealing with a patient population that is, generally speaking, in emotional turmoil. These patients often experience fear, anxiety, despair, hopelessness, grief and anger.
Key Nutrients for Maintaining Musculoskeletal Health
As a chiropractor, I fully appreciate the amazing potential of manual therapy. Whether that therapy is a chiropractic adjustment, therapeutic massage, or some of the many other effective body work options; people generally have a wonderful response.

Healing Leaders

Energy is a hot commodity. Society pays dearly for it and for the expertise of those who know how to cultivate it.


Helping Patients Through Pregnancy Loss
There is a lot of focus in the acupuncture world on fertility and helping women get pregnant. It's exhilarating to hear the news that a patient is expecting a baby. The other side of that is pregnancy loss. That includes abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth.
The Massage Profession Must Continue to Evolve
Evolution is defined as any process of formation or growth, development, as well as a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development by Dictionary.com.
The Power of Inhalation: Diffusing Essential Oils
When using essential oils as part of a massage practice, most of the focus goes on properties that can help relieve muscles and joints when applied topically.
Massage Helps Hospital Patients Manage Pain
The authors of this publication, Adams and colleagues, suggest pain management within the acute care setting is a focus of empirical study by researchers, healthcare facilities and accreditation organizations throughout the United States.
Creative Strategies to Boost Your Business
Years ago I realized the truth behind the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. I find that so many people, either personally or professionally, are "insane" by that definition.
Herbal Medicine: Go Mainstream
When it comes to practicing herbal medicine in a mainstream setting, there are a number of important points to understand when it comes to prescribing formulas. Some important questions to ask are - what method of prescribing and dispensing is most effective in this setting?
What's Your Story?

It's all too simple, yet essential. The universal question that often times we're asked by clients when we start a massage session. At least, with the chatty ones looking for conversation.


Help in Understanding Parkinson's, Part 2
In part one of this series from the April issue, I presented an understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD), its symptoms and current medical treatment.

There Are No Secrets: Treating Complicated Conditions with TCM
Including standardized extra points, there are just over 400 acupuncture points on the body. You get 400 and I get 400 - same. Yet, time and time again treatment protocols are coveted as if they were some secret formula only intended for the right and privileged.
Economics of Complementary/Integrative Care
Although this column doesn't usually feature a book review, we're going outside of our usual public health format to discuss a new book written by Patricia Herman ND, PhD.
Creating Lucrative Private Retreats that Heal You and Your Clients
Imagine that you've just wrapped up your most profitable day ever, leaving your treatment room with a check in hand for $1,500. How many clients would you have to see to earn that much in a day? Fifteen at $100 a session? Ten at $150? Six at $250?
Adventitious Tissue Structures of Elevated Tissue Density
A 12-year-old boy was brought into my clinic complaining of pain in his right heel, which impaired his ability to participate in sports, even to walk normally.
Dealing with Painful Foot Injuries, Part 2
In part one of this two-part series, published in the April issue, we began talking about foot pain and discussed several different injuries that affect that area of the body. Now we're going to move on to give you practical tips for soothing the feet.
Freeing the Heart: Protection of the Hip and Shoulder Joints
As we continue with this current series of articles on Freeing The Heart, if we consider the basic physiology of the human circulatory system, it seems evident that when the heart and lungs reach full expansion with a minimum of resistance, the heart will eject more blood and at a greater velocity.
You are What You Eat Part II: Integrative Protocols
In the previous installment of this article I discussed important ideas concerning gastrointestinal health and foundational ideas from TCM, which can provide key insights into creating effective protocols for healing the gut.
Muscles as Team Players
Synergistic dominance occurs as "helper" muscles are recruited to take over function when a "prime mover" muscle fails, much like when a football coach calls in the substitute players when a key player is injured.
The Spirits of the Points: The Gall Bladder Official
The Gall Bladder is known as The Official of Decision Making and Judgment. In any given day, this Official makes countless decisions – conscious and unconscious, which influence every aspect of our being.
A Freebie
Let's face it – patient evaluation takes time. Unless you are really into the diagnostic evaluation game, you probably have found the formal exam protocol tedious if not downright annoying.
Peer Points: Stories of Practice Success
When patients go see Arizona-based acupuncturist Jing Liu, it is to get top care from an practitioner well versed in all aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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Dynamic Chiropractic – September 1, 2004, Vol. 22, Issue 18
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Nutritional Supplementation in Migraine Management

By James P. Meschino, DC, MS

Many patients seek the help of chiropractors for the relief of migraine headaches, and several clinical trials, as well as anecdotal evidence, support the use of chiropractic manipulation as an intervention to reduce migraine headache frequency, duration, nausea and sensitivity to light.1-10 Acupuncture and percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are other physical modalities that have been shown to benefit migraine sufferers.11-22 In recent years, a number of studies have shown that administration of certain nutritional supplements can further help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks in susceptible individuals.

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for energy production, protein synthesis, muscle contraction, nerve excitability and conduction, and as a cofactor in numerous enzyme systems (more than 300 enzymes). Magnesium and calcium tend to antagonize one another's effects on muscle contraction and depolarization. Calcium activates muscle contraction, whereas magnesium is a muscle relaxer. This effect on decreasing muscle cell excitability may be of importance in the treatment of acute-phase ischemic heart disease, fibromyalgia, asthma, migraine headaches and other problems. Magnesium is also important, along with calcium, sodium, potassium and phosphorous, in nerve activity and muscle contraction.

Studies have shown that migraine sufferers have lower blood and brain levels of magnesium.23-26 Several studies suggest that magnesium supplementation can reduce the frequency and severity of migraine episodes, presumably by calming the nerves and/or neuromuscular circuitry involved in the pathogenesis of these headaches. In a study involving primarily premenopausal women, supplementation with magnesium (average intake: 200 mg per day) reduced the frequency of migraines in 80 percent of those treated.27 In a double-blind study involving 81 migraine patients, daily dosage of 600 mg of magnesium significantly reduced migraine frequency compared to placebo.28 Premenstrual migraine attacks were reduced in another double-blind study using a daily dosage of 360 mg of magnesium supplementation.29 Intravenous administration of magnesium produced marked and sometimes complete symptom relief during acute migraine attack, usually within 15 minutes or less.

5-Hydroxytryptophan

Migraine headaches have also been attributed to low serotonin levels or function in blood vessels. The precursor to the formation of serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptophan, which occurs naturally in the seed of an African plant known as Griffonia simplicifolia. Extraction of 5-hydroxytryptophan from the seed of this plant has made supplementation with naturally occurring 5-hydroxytryptophan available to the natural health products world. Studies on migraine sufferers have shown that supplementation with 5-hydroxytryptophan can raise serotonin levels and help in the global management of migraines.

In a 40-day study involving 40 migraine patients, daily supplementation with 200 mg of 5-hydroxytry-ptophan reduced the frequency of migraine headaches by 50 percent, a result similar to that reported by patients in the same study who were given methyserigide, a common drug used to control migraines.31-32 Two double-blind studies showed that daily supplementation with 600 mg of 5-hydroxytryptophan significantly reduced frequency of migraine headaches in known migraine sufferers.33-34 Other studies achieving good results with migraine sufferers used daily supplementation of 400 mg of 5-hydroxytryptophan.35-36 Some studies have shown that 5-hydroxytry-ptophan may also help with childhood migraine headaches at a daily intake level equal to 20 mg for every 10 pounds of body weight.37

It should be noted that the serotonin elevation induced by supplementation with 5-hydroxytryp-tophan may produce any of several side-effects, including drowsiness, gastrointestinal upset, headache, muscle pain or anxiety. This supplement should not be taken concurrently with antidepressant drugs or other mood-altering medications, as it may cause serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening.

Essential Oil Supplementation

Some studies have shown that supplementation with combinations of omega-3 fats (flaxseed oil or fish oil) and/or essential oils rich in gamma-linolenic acid (e.g., borage seed oil), a unique omega-6 fatty acid, can significantly reduce the severity, frequency and duration of migraine headaches. It is known that omega-3 fats from fish and flaxseed oil; and gamma-linolenic acid, from borage seed oil (also evening primrose and black currant oil) are converted into anti-inflammatory prostaglandin hormones in the body, which also help improve and regulate blood flow and platelet function. All of these physiological effects may account for the ability of essential fatty acid supplementation to help in the management of migraines.38-40

I suggest that patients choose an essential oil supplement that contains equal amounts of borage seed oil, flaxseed oil and fish oil (yielding 30 percent EPA and 20 percent DHA). Instructing migraine patients to take three to six capsules per day of this formulation (with each capsule containing 1,200 mg of essential oils) should help to favorably augment their prostaglandin synthesis, blood flow and platelet function.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

For reasons that are difficult to understand, supplementation with high doses of the B vitamin riboflavin has been shown to benefit migraine sufferers, according to two well-controlled trials. In one study, supplementation with 400 mg per day of riboflavin reduced frequency and severity of migraine headaches by 66 percent in 49 migraine sufferers.41 In a follow-up double-blind trial of three months' duration, researchers reported that 59 percent of migraine sufferers assigned to receive high-dose riboflavin supplementation showed a 50 percent reduction in the number of headaches, compared with only 15 percent of those assigned the placebo product.42 Riboflavin plays a significant role in energy production, which may indirectly account for its effects in controlling migraines.

Feverfew

Feverfew is the most popular herb used over the years to control migraines. Three double-blind studies have reported that continuous use of feverfew leads to a reduction in the severity, duration and frequency of migraine headaches.43-46 Active ingredients in this herb have been shown to block the production of inflammatory prostaglandin hormones. These active ingredients also relax smooth muscle (e.g., in arteries and arterioles) and inhibit platelet aggregation. Any combination of these effects may account for the success that feverfew has shown in migraine control. When recommending feverfew, it is important to guide patients to a product that contains 0.2 percent parthenolide content. Two to three 250 mg capsules should be taken daily for preventive purposes.47-48 It may take several months before feverfew supplementation begins to work in controlling the frequency of migraine episodes, so encourage patients not to give up on this intervention if positive results are not seen in the first four weeks.

Summary

In addition to chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue work, acupuncture and percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, holistic practitioners should be aware of the adjunctive role that nutritional supplementation can play in the global and natural management of migraine headaches. Based upon the available evidence, it may be wise to include the following supplementation strategy in the management of migraine patients:

  1. high-potency multivitamin and mineral (including a B-50 complex and 200-300 mg of magnesium);
  2. additional magnesium: 200-400 mg per day;
  3. additional calcium: a total of 1,000 mg per day from supplementation;
  4. 5-hydroxytryptophan: 200 mg, once or twice daily;
  5. essential oils supplement: 3-6 capsules per day (1,200 mg capsule containing 400 mg each of flaxseed, borage seed and fish oil - 30 percent EPA and 20 percent DHA);
  6. additional riboflavin: up to 400 mg per day of total riboflavin supplementation; and
  7. feverfew: 250 mg, two to three times per day (standardized to 0.2 percent parthenolide content).

Erratum

Vitamin D is routinely measured in ug/L (micrograms per liter), which is also the same as ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter), and in nmol/L (nanomoles per liter). In my previous two-part article, "Why Your Patients Need More Vitamin D After Age 45," blood levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) were incorrectly submitted in ng/mL instead of nmol/L throughout the article. The numeric values presented in the article are correct, but the units must be changed to nmol/L to reflect accuracy. Otherwise, the numeric values for blood levels of vitamin D listed throughout the article must be multiplied by .361 to reflect their accurate values in ng/mL. The author apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

References

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  25. Barbiroli B, Lodi R, Cortelli P, et al. Low brain free magnesium in migraine and cluster headache: an interictal study by in vivo phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy on 86 patients. Cephalalgia 1997;17:254.
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  37. Santucci M, Cortelli P, Rossi PG, et al. L-5-Hydroxytryptophan versus placebo in childhood migraine prophylaxis: a double-blind crossover study. Cephalalgia 1986;6:155-7.
  38. Wagner W, et al. Prophylactic treatment of migraine with gamma-linolenic and alpha-linolenic acids. Cephalalgia April 1997;17(2):127-30
  39. McCarren T, Hitzemann R, Allen C, et al. Amelioration of severe migraine by fish oil (omega-3) fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr 1985;41:874 [abstract].
  40. Glueck CJ, McCarren T, Hitzemann R, et al. Amelioration of severe migraine with omega-3 fatty acids: a double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr 1986;43:710 [abstract].
  41. Schoenen J, Lenaerts M, Bastings E. High-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic treatment of migraine: results of an open pilot study. Cephalalgia 1994;14:328-9.
  42. Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology 1998;50:466-70.
  43. Volger BK, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Feverfew as a preventive treatment for migraine: a systematic review. Cephalagia 1998;18:704-8.
  44. Murphy JJ, Hepinstall S, Mitchell JRA. Randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention. Lancet 1988;ii:189Ð92.
  45. Johnson ES, Kadam NP, Hylands DM, Hylands PJ. Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine. Br Med J 1985;291:569-73.
  46. Palevitch D, Earon G, Carasso R. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) as a prophylactic treatment for migraine: A double-blind placebo-controlled study. Phytother Res 1997;11:508-11.
  47. De Weerdt CJ, Bootsma HPR, Hendriks H. Herbal medicines in migraine prevention. Phytomed 1996;3:225-30.
  48. Awang DVC. Parthenolide: The demise of a facile theory of feverfew activity. J Herbs Spices Medicinal Plants 1998;5:95-8.

James Meschino, DC, MS
Toronto, Ontario Canada
www.renaisante.com
Click here for more information about James P. Meschino, DC, MS.

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